A who’s who of Boston business leaders— with a heavy dose of Irish-American heavies – packed the city’s newest hot-spot near Faneuil Hall last week. The opening of Bostonia Public House – located in the Board of Trade Building on State Street – was hailed as a “elegant renewal of a classic Boston meeting space.” The restaurant and bar replaces the Irish pub Kitty O’Shea’s, but is bigger and American-themed. Partners in the venture include Irish-American development titan Dave Greaney of Synergy Investment & Development, Michael Vaughn, co-owner of The Banshee and president of Nauset Strategies, and John Fitzgerald, the operating partner and a veteran of the city’s hospitality industry.

“Our objective is to create an establishment that celebrates the history, traditions and people of Boston, said Fitzgerald, the former operations manager of the Somers Group. “We recognize that Bostonians are increasingly seeking out refined yet relaxed offerings. I come from a place where a true public house is about more than just food and drink. It’s about community – a place where friends can socialize after work, visitors can pull up a stool and feel at home, and people come together to create memories.”

Designed by HGTV Host and Food Network Designer Taniya Nayak, Bostonia serves locally-inspired cuisine and beverages in a space that “integrates rustic elements with polished modern accents”— including throwback maps and the iconic seal of the city. For more on Bostonian, please visit bostoniapublichouse.com.

•••

Syngery, the development firm owned and operated by Dave Greaney, has sold the rights to one of its key development projects next to JFK-UMass MBTA station in Dorchester. The “Residences on Morrissey Boulevard” project— which received the go-ahead from the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 2013, will be a five-story, $50 million apartment complex next to the transit hub near the Boston Globe. Last month, Greaney told the Reporter that Synergy would sell the property and project rights to Criterion Development Partners, a Waltham-based company that specializes in the “development, construction and asset management of investment-quality multifamily communities.”

Synergy continues to control other key properties along Morrissey Boulevard, including the Shaw’s supermarket and the Greater Boston Media Company buildings. The “Residences at Morrissey Boulevard” project has been framed as the first phase in a 20-year redevelopment effort along the roadway, which will now include the disposition of the Globe property, which is currently being marketed for sale by owner John Henry, who purchased the newspaper company and its holdings last year.

Greaney said Criterion’s prior development experience and “commitment to executing the plan consistent with what we presented to the neighborhood and the city was a significant factor in our decision to award them the deal. We will continue to be large stakeholders on Morrissey Boulevard and we have a vested interest in the successful completion of this project,” said Greaney. “We are confident that the new ownership team will deliver a first-class product to the neighborhood.”

•••

Longtime Boston builder Michael O’Malley has a new venture that is targeting a condominium development in Dorchester’s Lower Mills section as a first project. O’Malley and his partner, John Sambucci, intend to buy and redevelop five parcels along Washington Street, including the former Molloy’s Funeral Home property.

O’Malley and Sambucci’s new company – City Point Development – is expected to pay over $3 million for the land, according to sources familiar with the deal. In a series of meetings recently with abutters, plans emerged for a six-story residential building with 50-plus units. O’Malley has since agreed to re-design the proposed building to address height and density concerns raised by neighbors.

“We’re going to re-design the building and get back to the community in the next two weeks,” O’Malley told the Reporter. “You will have a fabulous area to live with shops in the front and we won’t overbuild it. I will stay involved even after we sell the condos,” O’Malley said, adding that he plans to keep ownership of any commercial space designed in the new plans.

Contact Bill Forry at bforry@dotnews.com.